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Stealth and Stealthier
Stealth and Stealtier is an encounter in the Melody of the Maze mission hub. It comes after Two Gallants. Enemies *Arrogant Assassin (1000 Gold, 112 Xp, 70 Energy, 5 HP Normal, 6 HP Hard, 7 HP NM) *Insolent Imp (1100 Gold, 120 Xp, 75 Energy, 5 HP, 6 HP Hard, 7 HP NM) Transcript Introduction "What would an imp know about the assassin's arts?" "Stupid human! Everyone knows that imps are sneaky. And I'm the sneakiest." "Pah!" The human, dressed in the garb of one of Crenus' assassins, makes a spitting gesture. But if any saliva actually leaves his mouth, it's caught by the inside of his mask. The imp glares up at him. Neither seems to be concerned about your presence, so you decide to watch the scene unfold. You can't tell yet whether the events you witness in this place have any significance, any meaning which you can glean to aid you - but it would be foolish to discount the possibility. "I studied assassination at the academy! And upon the completion of our training my fellow classmates named me the most likely to assassinate a demigod." "Academy? Hah!" The imp cackles, displaying rows of sharp, gleaming teeth. "I learned sneaking in the pits of hell. Jumped from shadows once and tore out a demon prince's eyes. I juggled them and put them back in his sockets - all before he noticed." "Preposterous! I'm the greater assassin, and I'll prove it!" "How?" "Watch me dispatch that man over there. I'll kill him faster than you can blink!" At that pronouncement your status as an amused observer vanishes. You shift into battle stance and mumble the words to a fireball spell. "No! I'll kill her first and prove I'm the best!" The burning ball flies from your hand, splashing its orange light across the walls as it roars towards your foes. Two clouds of grey smoke puff into existence around the human and imp assassins. They merge together into a single dense mass, filling the passage from side to side. Your fireball disappears into the cloud, engulfed by the greyness - leaving only a hint of orange light to mark its passing. You dart forward out of instinct. When you spin around, weapon raised, you're greeted by the sight of two murderous faces - one masked, one scarlet - emerging from the shadows. Conclusion A dense fog of grey smoke surrounds you, hiding the walls, the floor, the ceiling and your foes in its amorphous mass. You close your eyes, surrendering sight and allowing it to give way to other senses. The smoke trick is one you learned yourself, under the tutelage of your family's master assassin. A way to rob foes of their vision at the cost of your own -- secure in the knowledge that your honed hearing and spatial awareness would give you the advantage. Your foes have undertaken that gambit. Three invisible killers slip through the greyness, blades and claws probing for enemy flesh. You parry, rewarded with the clash of steel on steel. Your riposte is deflected in turn, the second clang following with such rapidity that it seems to be the child of the first. You dart to the side -- anticipating the follow up attack. "Got him!" the imp's voice howls. "Got his eyes!" "Aaarrrrrggggghhhh!" "Pull and tear!" the demon cackles. "Tear and rip!" "You stupid bastard!" the human assassin shrieks. You seize the opportunity - speaking the words of a wind spell that you didn't have time to utter in the sightless flurries of attack and defense. The fog parts, driven against the walls and further down the passage in both directions - ceding a clear radius around you. The new openness is filled with screaming, heightened by the strain of harp music which echoes it. The imp clings to the masked man with his legs, fastened to his chest like an infant carried by his parent. He clutches a bloody little ball in the fingers of each hand "Oops..." the imp says. Then your sword plunges into his back. Two new clouds fill a portion of the space vacated by the grey fog -- one red, the other white. Category:Melody of the Maze